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'''c) Standard installations with Hardware RAID Controller'''
'''c) Standard installations with Hardware RAID Controller'''
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With server hardware featuring a hardware RAID controller, 2 "logical" hard disks are being created. Those are treaterd like 2 separate disks by the operating system. The first hard disk has a capacity of 100 GB and contains the operating system. The 2nd disk is expanded to the remaining size of the available storage space. The size of the 2nd disks varies depending on the selected RAID level.
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With server hardware featuring a hardware RAID controller, 2 "logical" hard disks are being created. Those are treated like 2 separate disks by the operating system. The first hard disk has a capacity of 100 GB and contains the operating system. The 2nd disk is expanded to the remaining size of the available storage space. The size of the 2nd disks varies depending on the selected RAID level.
Example:
Example:

Version vom 16:30, 24. Aug. 2015

Characteristics of Windows installations

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Characteristics of Windows installations

General

We offer the unattended installation of Windows Server for all dedicated servers. In the following article we will show you what to consider with the Windows installations provided by us.


Problems with GPT

GPT ("GUID Partition Table") ist the successor of MBR ("Master Boot Record"). Both terms represent a certain way of how to partition disk drives (number of usable partitions, partition size etc.). While MBR used to be the standard for quite a long time, GPT is now becoming more and more popular with the uprising usage of (U)EFI.

With MBR a maximum of 4 primary partitions can be created for each disk. MBR can address HDDs of up to 4 TB. A single partition may be up to 2.2 TB large.
With GPT a maximum of 128 primary partitions can be created for each disk. GPT can address HDDs of up to 9.4 Zettabytes.


While Linux and several Unix distributions are able to boot from GPT-formatted HDDs, Windows has some restrictions regarding this:


  • Using servers without (U)EFI Windows can only boot from MBR-formatted hard disks
  • Using MBR-formatted hard disks Windows can only use the first 2.2 TB of the disk (this pertains to the system disk only)
  • Free storage above the 2.2 TB limit can't be partitioned and thus cannot be used
  • Windows can only boot from GPT-formatted hard disks when installed with (U)EFI


Since the majority of the deployed server hardware still operates with a conventional BIOS and in order to ensure compatibility with the other installations we provide, installing Windows via (U)EFI is not possible at the moment (Effective 08/2015).


Partitioning schemes

Standard installations

a) Standard installations for hard disks up to 2 TB

With server hardware featuring hard disks with a capacity of up to 2 TB per disk, the operating system is installed on the first disk. The whole storage capacity is available. All other disks are formatted and provided respectively.


b) Standard installations for hard disks > 2 TB

With server hardware featuring hard disks with a capacity of 3 TB and above per disk, the operating system is installed on the first disk. Using a special workaround the hard disk is partitioned so that the whole storage can be used.

Example for a 3 TB hard disk:

  • Partition 1 => 40 GB
  • Partition 2 => 1360 GB
  • Partition 3 => 1600 GB


NOTE: Changing the partition layout (i.e. deleting partitions beyond the 2.2 TB limit) causes the restrictions mentioned above to be applied again. That means it is not possible to create further partitions beyond the 2.2 T limit.


c) Standard installations with Hardware RAID Controller

With server hardware featuring a hardware RAID controller, 2 "logical" hard disks are being created. Those are treated like 2 separate disks by the operating system. The first hard disk has a capacity of 100 GB and contains the operating system. The 2nd disk is expanded to the remaining size of the available storage space. The size of the 2nd disks varies depending on the selected RAID level.

Example:

4 hard disks with 4 TB each are connected to the RAID controller. The selected RAID level is RAID1. The resulting sizes are:

  • 1. hard disk: 100 GB
  • 2. hard disk: 3.9 TB

For the 2nd disk to be fully usable, it will be formated with GPT.

Software RAID installations

a) Software RAID installations with hard disks up to 2 TB

With server hardware featuring hard disks with a capacity of up to 2 TB capacity / per disk, the operating system is installed on the first disk. The whole storage capacity is available. Together with the 1st hard disk the 2nd one constitutes a mirror (this equals RAID1). All data is redundant.

All other hard disks are formatted with GPT and can be addressed as single disks.

b) Software RAID installation with hard disks > 2 TB


RAID installations are not possible with hard disks featuring a capacity of more than 2 TB. This is due to the restriction that such hard disks can't be converted to dynamic disks (which is necessary for RAID setups under Windows).